Staff Editorial: Cheers and Jeers

So ends another year at the College. As always, this last day brings bell-ringing and Blowout — and, for us, cheers and jeers.

We hope you’ll join us in reflecting on some of the biggest campus events of the school year.

Cheers to the business and law schools for rising in national rankings. Jeers to U.S. News & World Report for a flawed rankings system that hates on public schools. No public undergraduate program made it into last year’s top 20.

Cheers to the most diverse admitted class ever. Jeers to a stagnant acceptance rate.

Cheers to the Gateway Program. Jeers to its insufficient funding.

Cheers to former College President Gene Nichol for his involvement in campus life. Jeers to Nichol for bungling his duties as president and for leaving the school in a lurch.

Cheers to the BOV for coming to campus to explain a tough but ultimately right decision. Jeers to Nichol for snubbing the student media and talking only with PBS-affiliate WHRO about his departure.

Cheers to student activism. Jeers to graffiti. Especially on the Wren Building.

Cheers to Andrew Seve ’10 for evading police for days and even managing to perform at Homebrew while he was wanted. Jeers to the police for allowing that to happen.

Cheers to the College for creating a position to address staff concerns. Jeers to calling it the “ombudsperson.” Seriously. Ombudsperson?

Cheers to SEAC for bring environmental issues to the fore. Jeers to the College for doing little about them.

Cheers to new Registrar Winifred Sowder for giving students the chance to vote in Williamsburg. Jeers to former registrar Dave Andrews for denying them that right. Jeers to Dave Andrews for allegedly stealing city money. Jeers to Dave Andrews for pretty much everything.

Cheers to the Student Assembly for its commitment to student voting. Jeers to the SA for following through on only half of passed bills.

Cheers to the City Council candidates for debating on campus. Jeers to it taking so long.

Cheers to Matt Beato. Jeers to Clyde Haulman.

Cheers to Gov. Tim Kaine for saying he’d make higher education a top priority. Jeers to Kaine for then cutting our state funding by 6 percent.

Cheers to Del. Tim Hugo’s alma mater (the College). Jeers to Hugo and others in the General Assembly for belittling it. And for meddling in its affairs. And for cutting its funding.

Cheers to free music. Jeers to the Recording Industry Association of America for targeting college students.

Cheers to UCAB for bringing Guster and the Ying Yang Twins to campus. Jeers to B. J. Novak for not being as funny as Ryan.

Cheers to the restored Matoaka Amphitheater. Jeers to the city for ending our concerts there at 10 p.m.

Cheers to the Sex Workers’ Art Show for upholding free speech. Jeers to those who attempted to censor it.

Cheers to the fencing team for rallying in the face of tragedy. R.I.P. Pete Conomikes and Ben Gutenberg ’11.

Cheers to the effort the logo committee put into the new logo. Jeers to everything else about it.

Cheers to Tribe men’s basketball for its historic run to the CAA finals. Jeers to the pep band for not showing up until the championship game.